Police plea on neutrality is welcome

WE must commend the Inspector General of Police, Lieutenant General Sebastian Ndeitunga, for calling on political party leaders to tell their members to refrain from violent acts and to practise their political activities democratically.

At a time when there has been a largely ominous silence from a majority of political leaders on the subject of escalating tensions between, in particular, supporters of Swapo and the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), it is encouraging to note that the Chief of Police is reaffirming their neutrality vis-a-vis Swapo and RDP, and calling on all Namibians to respect the Constitution. While many, including this newspaper, have been calling for restraint in recent weeks as the antagonism between the two parties reached new heights, the politicians tended to fuel the fires rather than the contrary.Somewhat late in the day, President Hifikepunye Pohamba joined his voice to the appeals for calm and tolerance.The Inspector General of Police pointed out this week the difficulties Police had had in controlling the actions of certain local political leaders and supporters, especially during the competing rallies held in the town of Omuthiya in northern Namibia.There was one loss of life, which the Inspector General added was regrettable, but he blamed the situation.He emphasised in his appeal to political leaders that all had to adhere to the Namibian Constitution, which gave everyone the right to belong to the political party of his or her choice, and in turn, requested others to respect those rights.He also commended his officers in the North for working hard to control often-explosive situations amid calls of favouritism from certain parties.He gave the assurance to Namibians that the Police were “not biased in their work and are treating all political parties equally without discrimination”.”Our country needs civic discipline and we as leaders have to educate our people to be disciplined”, he added.He also warned against the carrying of firearms in public places, most particularly at political meetings, and emphasised the Police orders to confiscate illegal weapons, but also registered ones if they were carried at political rallies.Such a stance is very important in the present climate where feelings are inclined to run high among the various political supporters and we would certainly give our support to the Police in ensuring that Namibians are not armed in situations where there is likely to be high tension and even violence.Already it appears a number of Namibians have been charged with illegal possession of automatic assault rifles, which are not permitted, and we would urge the Police to continue with this campaign to ensure that guns among the Namibian population are reduced as much as possible.We would encourage the Police to not only verbally affirm their neutrality when it comes to political infights but to ensure that the Namibian population as a whole sees by their actions that this is in fact the case.Their job is to maintain law and order and those who seek to jeopardise peace and stability must be brought to book, regardless of their political affiliations.We would also encourage the political leadership to follow the example of Lieutenant General Ndeitunga, and constantly urge their supporters to refrain from any illegal acts, and to instead promote a spirit of tolerance within the framework of our Constitution.The Omuthiya excitement has died down at present, due primarily to the postponement of the municipal elections, but they will be held again in future, and we join our voice to the Inspector General’s call to all Namibians to allow all parties to campaign peacefully and uphold the rights of members and supporters to exercise their freedom of choice regarding political affiliation.There should be no place, and more particularly, no need for violent acts.While many, including this newspaper, have been calling for restraint in recent weeks as the antagonism between the two parties reached new heights, the politicians tended to fuel the fires rather than the contrary.Somewhat late in the day, President Hifikepunye Pohamba joined his voice to the appeals for calm and tolerance.The Inspector General of Police pointed out this week the difficulties Police had had in controlling the actions of certain local political leaders and supporters, especially during the competing rallies held in the town of Omuthiya in northern Namibia.There was one loss of life, which the Inspector General added was regrettable, but he blamed the situation.He emphasised in his appeal to political leaders that all had to adhere to the Namibian Constitution, which gave everyone the right to belong to the political party of his or her choice, and in turn, requested others to respect those rights.He also commended his officers in the North for working hard to control often-explosive situations amid calls of favouritism from certain parties.He gave the assurance to Namibians that the Police were “not biased in their work and are treating all political parties equally without discrimination”.”Our country needs civic discipline and we as leaders have to educate our people to be disciplined”, he added.He also warned against the carrying of firearms in public places, most particularly at political meetings, and emphasised the Police orders to confiscate illegal weapons, but also registered ones if they were carried at political rallies.Such a stance is very important in the present climate where feelings are inclined to run high among the various political supporters and we would certainly give our support to the Police in ensuring that Namibians are not armed in situations where there is likely to be high tension and even violence.Already it appears a number of Namibians have been charged with illegal possession of automatic assault rifles, which are not permitted, and we would urge the Police to continue with this campaign to ensure that guns among the Namibian population are reduced as much as possible.We would encourage the Police to not only verbally affirm their neutrality when it comes to political infights but to ensure that the Namibian population as a whole sees by their actions that this is in fact the case.Their job is to maintain law and order and those who seek to jeopardise peace and stability must be brought to book, regardless of their political affiliations.We would also encourage the political leadership to follow the example of Lieutenant General Ndeitunga, and constantly urge their supporters to refrain from any illegal acts, and to instead promote a spirit of tolerance within the framework of our Constitution.The Omuthiya excitement has died down at present, due primarily to the postponement of the municipal elections, but they will be held again in future, and we join our voice to the Inspector General’s call to all Namibians to allow all parties to campaign peacefully and uphold the rights of members and supporters to exercise their freedom of choice regarding political affiliation.There should be no place, and more particularly, no need for violent acts.